The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Intersection on Manhattan street with yellow cabs and black cars waiting for stoplight.

Op-Ed: Why NYC Needs a Comprehensive Plan

The city’s congestion pricing program could change transportation and land use in radical ways. A comprehensive plan would make the most of those changes.

November 30 - Crain's New York Business

Man with protective mask measures the moisture level on a white wall with green mold in an apartment.

In Rush to Build, Older Housing is Overlooked

Older homes provide an affordable housing lifeline, but poor conditions often lead to serious health impacts for residents.

November 29 - Bloomberg CityLab

Aerial view of massive Los Angeles freeway interchange with dense housing and industrial areas around it.

Fire Officials Say More LA Freeway Underpasses at Fire Risk

The city’s fire department is surveying other underpasses for hazardous materials and other code violations that led to the November 11 fire that shut down a key interstate segment.

November 29 - Fox 11 Los Angeles

SMall backyard cottage ADU in San Diego, California.

San Diegans at Odds Over ‘Granny Towers’

A provision in the city’s ADU ordinance allows developers to build an essentially unlimited number of units on single-family lots.

November 29 - CALmatters

Aerial view of suburb outside Dallas, Texas with large single-family houses with enclosed backyards and green lawns.

The Rise of Zoning Reform

As the housing affordability crisis spread from mainly coastal cities to the rest of the nation, cities and states are taking a serious look at outdated zoning codes that hamper efforts to build more housing.

November 29 - Bloomberg CityLab


White and red Cruise self-driving car with "Self-driver in training" sign on back

Autonomous Cars Putting Strain on Local Governments

As the industry pushes ahead in fits and starts, local officials and first responders are scrambling to develop protocols for handling driverless vehicles.

November 29 - The New York Times

Red fire engine on street in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Getting Buy-in for Road Diets From Fire Departments

Proposals to narrow streets often meet resistance from emergency responders concerned about safety and access.

November 29 - Strong Towns


Colorful brick apartment buildings with fire escapes in Chinatown, New York City.

A ‘Black Market’ for Short-Term Rentals Grows in NYC

While many owners are listing their rentals on other websites, others are moving them back to the long-term rental market.

November 29 - Curbed

Aerial view of intersection in Hoboken, New Jersey with crosswalks, bulb-outs, and blue home plate painted in middle of intersection, surrounded by mid-rise multistory apartment buildings.

Vision Zero at Work: Hoboken Celebrates Seven Years of Zero Traffic Deaths

The New Jersey city implemented simple yet impactful changes to eliminate traffic fatalities.

November 29 - Jalopnik

View of downtown Seattle with construction cranes and cloudy sky as seen from top of Space Needle.

Seattle Council Rejects Transportation Impact Fee

Councilmembers who opposed the proposal say the fee would have slowed housing development and raised housing costs.

November 28 - The Registry

Close-up of driver's side of silver truck with cloud of dirty emissions from tailpipe.

FHWA Issues Emissions Tracking Rule

The agency will require states to monitor transportation emissions and create plans to address air pollution.

November 28 - Route Fifty

Red sign with white text opposing Minneapolist 2040 rezoning plan.

BLOG POST

Magical Thinking and NIMBYism

Comparing different types of NIMBYism and where they go wrong.

November 28 - Michael Lewyn

Close-up of bus driver from behind with only hand visible on steering wheel.

FTA Proposes Measures to Prevent Transit Operator Fatigue

Public transit is the only type of transportation not already subject to ‘hours of service’ and fatigue risk management regulations.

November 28 - Safety & Health

Entrance sign for Big Bend National Park, West Texas.

West Texas Growth Prompts Water Supply Concerns

Small desert communities are looking for ways to conserve water as their tourist and resident populations grow.

November 28 - The Daily Yonder

White and blue Kansas City streetcar at a station with LIberty Memorial column in background.

The Variable Benefits of Streetcars

An analysis of several streetcar systems shows that they bring different benefits based on a community’s goals.

November 28 - Smart Cities Dive

Aerial view of Newwark, New Jersey at sunset with river in foreground.

Newark Announces Supplemental Zoning Board

The temporary board will help speed up the application review process during a development boom.

November 28 - Governing

Rendering of TOD with two glass towers abovw MARTA transit station in Kensington near Atlanta, Georgia.

New TOD Breaks Ground in Atlanta Area

The project will include over 500 housing units, commercial and retail space, and park spaces.

November 28 - Urbanize Atlanta

Makeshift shelter built by unhoused people on hillside overlooking freeway in Stockton, California.

Study: Homeless People Face Higher Mortality Risk

Unhoused adults are more than three times as likely to die in any given year as their housed counterparts, research shows.

November 27 - San Francisco Chronicle

BlueLA car share car parked in Los Angeles.

Study: Equity in Car Share Programs Requires Low Cost, Broad Coverage

Data from a Los Angeles car share program showed its impact on underserved communities was ‘limited by its small footprint.’

November 27 - Streetsblog USA

Aerial view of two sports stadiums in Arlington, Texas.

The Largest U.S. City Lacking Mass Transit

Arlington, Texas has the dubious distinction of being the largest city in the nation with no fixed-route public transit system.

November 27 - Fort Worth Report

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